"I guess nothing rhymes with Treasury," joked Jay Carney, the president's press secretary. "Because Treasury offers and gives licenses for travel, as you know, and the White House has nothing to do with it. "

He added, "I am absolutely saying that the White House and president on down has not had anything to do with anyone's travel to Cuba, that is something Treasury handles."

At the briefing, Carney added, "It's a song," Carney said. "The president did not communicate with Jay-Z over this trip."

This morning, according to Huffington Post, Swizz Beatz said in a morning call on New York's Hot 97 that the song was started in Jay-Z's office on Wednesday night. "I had the portable drum machine with me, then we went down to the 40/40 [club] to watch the game," he said. "Then [Timbaland] came by and was like, 'That beat is crazy.' Next morning, Jay called me with verses."